HO HO HOliday SHOping

I don't know why I went to Macy's on 34th street the day after Thanksgiving. I don't like to go there any other day of the year unless I know exactly what I want and go straight to it.

I guess I just wanted to see the crowd and test my patience. It proved good practice. I used yoga breathing exercises.

However, I must bring into question the report released by MasterCard Worldwide earlier this week. It revealed "Black Friday" didn't rank in the top five of busiest holiday shopping days of last year.

Hence we must define shopping. MasterCard is looking at money spent, not number of wailing women surging through turnstalls. Yet for most, shopping doesn't necessarily mean spending. Don't get me wrong, I like spending, just not shopping. So I can see why the majority of people aren't spending the most money the day after Thanksgiving. They are looking; searching for the deals the stores advertise and promise. I think shopping for some is escapism, with thoughts like: "Who would I be if I owned this pocketbook and jacket?" It's time away from responsibility and reality.

Maybe I should go shopping more?

I had a fun time "shopping" at Tiffany's in Westport with my photographer Lori Golias as we were preparing our "What's Bugging You" on holiday gift giving.

We also took our annual picture with Santa. Both of these are from the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford.

However after this year's shoot I was asked what I asked Santa for. That's when I realized I hadn't asked him for anything. So I started thinking about what I wanted.

2006 & 2005 at the Milford Mall.

Sure, for my Bugging piece I made a list of things ranging from a maid to a Lexus to a crumb scraper, but realistically, what did I want? I decided to make a of list of what I could do better in life, and then what actions I had to take to achieve those goals.

I figure while spending or receiving can cheer you up for the moment, living the best life you can is actual fulfillment. 

That's not to say that large, though empty, Tiffany's box (remnant from my Bugging piece) sitting on my desk at work isn't a thrill.  I smile every time someone freaks out over it and I get to undo the ribbon again and show them... its empty! Well, except for that wish list I made. And a picture of John Mayer. But that is a different story.

            

Rockefeller Tree Lighting

It is a special night for that 88-foot Norway Spruce chopped from a Ridgefield home two days after election day. The nine-ton tree will be lit tonight as the centerpiece at Rockefeller Center for all of the world to admire and capture in the four-inch screens of their new cameras.

The tree, which stood near a home off Peaceable HIll road for nearly 90 years, has gone through quite a transformation to get ready for its three-month stint in New York City. Following a journey on I-95 on a 115-foot long trailer, the evergreen was decked with 25-thousand crystals and a 550-pound star. All you have to do is jump Metro North to check it out!

If you are heading to New York for the lighting or any other time to see the holiday sights, you might want to check out www.hopstop.com. HopStop is a MapQuest of sorts for the subway and walkers. Just enter your destinations, and hopstop will tell you which subways to take as well as how to get to the stations. It will even calculate an estimated taxi fare for that distance. Before you go you can calculate whether checking out the tree and all the holiday window displays is faster on foot, by subway or cab.

If you don't have time for any of it, or just can't get near it once you are there, I found a sneak peak of some New York City holiday windows. Here is this year's Macy's display.

Here is the window display at Saks.

Now Let's Burn

So knowing that it would take 19-miles to work off that Thanksgiving meal, you still overate. Counting leftovers, you probably need to walk 40 miles to burn the calories you consumed.

Even if you don't burn off the extra calories, its not too late to maintain your weight over the holiday season. Mary Ellen Conway, Outpatient Dietician at St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport, told me today that one mess up isn't license to over eat and over indulge the rest of the season.

She says to always have a plan when going to parties so that the event doesn't control you. First she says don't try to save up calories for the event. She advises her patients to eat three balanced meals a day. When at the party, fill half your plate with high-fiber, low calorie veggies. The other part include a protein and the one food you consider an indulgence.

She says make exercise a priority, but also try to work it into your everyday schedule, such as taking the stairs or doing an extra lap around the mall. Click here for a list of calorie burning activies including driving to the in-laws'.

Calculate how many calories your body burns in a day.

Calculate how many calories you burn during your workout, whether it's housework, cooking or yoga.

Here are some more ways to get fit without the gym.

This is an article on having a plan.

You can also figure out how many calories you'll likely consume during the upcoming holiday party. It's like the Thanksgiving one, however, instead of saying I'd have to walk 19 miles, seems I will need to figure out a way to burn the equivalent of walking 30 miles.

Conways also warns about holiday libations. She says wine can have 90 calories a glass, but a mixed drink 250. She says if you have two drinks at 250 calories each, but do that for seven nights, that is easily one holiday pound.